Candy Receptacle

ABSTRACT

A candy receptacle adapted to support a lollipop therein and that can be worn around a user&#39;s neck. The candy receptacle includes a housing and a necklace, wherein the housing includes a first portion hingedly attached to a second portion forming an interior volume configured to receive and support the edible portion of a lollipop. A lower side of the housing includes an aperture configured to receive the stick of the lollipop therethrough, while the upper side of the housing includes a bail configured to allow a necklace loop therethrough. The necklace may be a flexible cable or rope, and in other embodiments the necklace is a hollow tube adapted to store candy therein. The ends of the necklace are also removably secured to one another via mating fasteners.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/076,712 filed on Nov. 7, 2014. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to candy accessories. Specifically, the present invention provides a candy receptacle that is configured to receive and support a lollipop therein and includes a necklace that allows a user to wear the candy receptacle around his or her neck.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A lollipop is a type of hard candy that children place in their mouths and lick to dissolve and eat the edible portion. However, children may be unable to consume the entire lollipop in a single sitting. Other times parents may force the child to stop eating the lollipop halfway through to prevent them from eating the entire lollipop in one sitting. As a result, the child may place an unfinished lollipop on a table, or other piece of furniture. These surfaces may also cause the lollipop to be lost or contaminated so that further consumption of the lollipop is no longer possible or desirable. These undesired and unfinished lollipops are then discarded.

Furthermore, due to the fact that lollipops are laid down quite frequently, another concern is that the unfinished lollipop may contaminate the surface upon which it was placed. A child may place a lollipop on furniture or painted surfaces, wherein these surfaces may be damaged due to the sticky surface of an unfinished lollipop, which could result in extensive and tiresome cleaning. Therefore, there exists a need for a candy receptacle that allows a user to store an unfinished lollipop therein to prevent damage to furniture and to allow the user to finish the lollipop at a later time.

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to candy holders and containers. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. Some of these devices provide a container for storing lollipops therein so that the lollipop can be consumed at a later time. These devices, however, fail to provide a candy receptacle adapted to support the edible portion of the lollipop, and fail to provide a candy receptacle having a a necklace to allow a user to wear the candy receptacle on his or her neck.

The present invention provides a candy receptacle having a housing and a necklace, wherein the housing is adapted to receive and support a lollipop therein. The housing includes a first portion hingedly attached to a second portion forming an interior volume configured to receive and support the edible portion of a lollipop. A lower side of the housing includes an aperture configured to receive the stick of the lollipop therethrough, while the upper side of the housing includes a bail configured to allow a necklace loop therethrough. In this way, a user can wear the housing around his or her neck to be carried around. In some embodiments, the necklace comprises a hollow tube in which small candies can be stored. The first end and the second end of the necklace are removably secured to one another via a mating fasteners.

It is therefore submitted that the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to candy receptacles. In this regard, the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of candy receptacles now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a candy receptacle wherein the same can be utilized for providing a user with a receptacle that is worn around a user's neck and configured to support a lollipop therein.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and improved candy receptacle that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved candy receptacle comprising a housing disposed on a necklace.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved candy receptacle, wherein the housing includes a first portion hingedly attached to a second portion forming an interior volume configured to support an edible portion of a lollipop therein and removably secured via a fastener.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved candy receptacle, wherein a lower side of the housing includes an aperture that is configured to receive a stick of the lollipop therethrough.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved candy receptacle, wherein an upper side of the housing includes a bail that is configured to receive a necklace therethrough configured to allow a user to wear the housing around his or her neck.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved candy receptacle, wherein the necklace comprises a hollow tube in which small candies can be stored.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved candy receptacle, wherein the necklace includes mating fasteners on opposing ends thereof for removably securing the necklace around the user's neck.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved candy receptacle, wherein the device may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 is an overhead perspective view of the candy receptacle.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the candy receptacle supporting a lollipop therein.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective of several other exemplary embodiments of the candy receptacle.

FIG. 4 is an overhead perspective of an alternate embodiment of the candy receptacle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the candy receptacle. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for receiving and supporting a lollipop. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an overhead perspective view and a side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the candy receptacle, respectively. The receptacle 20 is configured to allow a user to easily and conveniently transport candy around their neck. Furthermore, the receptacle 20 provides a more sanitary way of eating previously opened candy. The candy receptacle 20 comprises a housing 22 supported on a necklace 21.

The housing 22 includes a first portion 23 that is hingedly attached to a second portion 24 forming an interior volume. The housing 22 can be moved between open and closed configurations, wherein the open configuration provides access to the interior volume of the housing 22 so that the user can insert the edible portion of a lollipop therein, and wherein the closed configuration encloses the lollipop within the interior volume. The housing 22 may further include a fastener 25 for removably securing the first and second portions 23, 24 together in a closed configuration. The interior volume is configured to support candy therein, specifically the edible portion 52 of a lollipop 50, wherein the interior volume provides a sanitary storage compartment for previously opened lollipops or lollipops that are still wrapped.

The housing 22 further includes a lower side 26 and an upper side 27. Preferably, the fastener 25 is situated on a lower end 26 of the housing 22. The fastener 25 is preferably a latching fastener, however, other suitable fasteners are alternatively used in other embodiments. These alterations and modifications are deemed within the scope of the present disclosure and likewise contemplated. The lower side 26 further includes an aperture 28 that is centrally located thereon. The aperture 28 allows a stick 51 of the lollipop 50 to be inserted therethrough while the edible portion 52 of the lollipop 50 is supported within the interior volume of the housing 22.

The upper side 27 also includes a bail 29 configured to receive the necklace 21 therethrough. In this way, the housing 22 can be positioned on the necklace 21 to allow a user to wear the candy receptacle 20 around his or her neck, while transporting and supporting the lollipop 50 within the interior volume of the housing 22. In some embodiments, the upper side 27 includes a tab that includes an aperture that the necklace is looped therethrough. The necklace 21 is preferably a flexible cable or rope. The necklace 21 may be composed from a thermoplastic or thermoset material, however, other suitable cords or string are likewise contemplated. In some embodiments, the necklace 21 is an elongated cord having a first end 32 and a second end 33, wherein the first end 32 and the second end 33 are removably attached to one another by mating fasteners 30, 31. Any suitable mating fasteners 30, 31 may be used, such as snaps, male and female engaging connectors, and magnets, among others.

The first portion 23 of the housing 22 is substantially in the shape of the head or face of a cartoon character or animal. As illustrated, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 22 is in the shape of a cartoon dog. FIG. 3 shows an overhead perspective of several other preferred embodiments of the receptacle 20. The housing 22 further can take the shape of a cartoon ladybug, frog, elephant, duck, and owl among many other shapes. Other suitable cartoon shapes are likewise contemplated.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an overhead perspective of an alternate embodiment of the candy receptacle. In the illustrated embodiment, the necklace 21 is a flexible, elongated tube 40. The tube 40 includes a first end 41 and a second end 42 forming a hollow interior. The hollow interior is configured to support a plurality of small pieces of candy therein. The tube 40 is configured to be looped through the bail 29 on the upper end 27 of the housing 22.

The first end 41 and the second end 42 are configured to be removably secured to one another via a fastener 43, which allows the receptacle 20 to be worn around on a user's neck. Preferably the fastener 43 is a hollow cylindrical bore that allows a user to secure the first end 41 and the second end 42 by friction fit. The user can access the small pieces of candy supported within the hollow interior by simply detaching either the first end 41 or the second end 42 from the connector 43. Other suitable connectors are alternatively used in other embodiments and likewise contemplated.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

I claim: 1) A candy receptacle, comprising: a housing having a first portion, a second portion, a lower side, and an upper side forming an interior volume configured to support an edible portion of a lollipop therein; said first portion hingedly attached to said second portion; an aperture disposed on said lower side configured to allow a stick of said lollipop to pass therethrough; a bail attached to said upper side configured to receive and support a necklace therethrough. 2) The candy receptacle of claim 1, wherein said necklace comprises a flexible cable. 3) The candy receptacle of claim 1, wherein said necklace comprises a hollow tube. 4) The candy receptacle of claim 1, wherein said necklace comprises a first end and a second end, wherein said first end comprises a first fastener thereon adapted to removably engage with a second fastener disposed on said second end. 5) The candy receptacle of claim 1, wherein said housing is substantially in the shape of a face of a cartoon animal. 6) The candy receptacle of claim 1, further comprising a fastener disposed on said housing adapted to removably secure said first portion to said second portion. 